UFC 126 Prelims: Cerrone Chokes Kelly; Mendes Outpoints Omigawa

By: Mike WhitmanFeb 5, 2011

Donald
Cerrone earned a hard fought, come-from-behind victory in his
promotional debut, as he submitted Paul Kelly in
the second round of their preliminary lightweight scrap at UFC
126 “Silva vs. Belfort” on Saturday at the MGM Grand Garden
Arena in Las Vegas.

As Cerrone (Pictured, File photo) tried to touch gloves to start
the bout, Kelly landed an overhand right before “Cowboy” took the
fight to the floor. Though Cerrone briefly secured the mount, the
Brit escaped and proceeded to light up the Greg Jackson protégé on
the feet. In the waning minutes, however, Cerrone took the fight to
the floor once again, this time slicing Kelly over the right eye
with an elbow.

Cerrone stormed back in the second stanza, using his length to
score with leg kicks before putting Kelly on his back and passing
to mount for the second time. There would be no escape for the Brit
this time, as the former WEC title challenger took his back and
cinched a fight-ending rear-naked choke at 3:48 of round two.

“I’m glad to be here. I’m glad to show the WEC guys deserve to be
here,” said Cerrone. “That’s Greg Jackson jiu-jitsu. My training
partners are the best in the world.”

Mendes Outpoints Omigawa, Stays
Unbeaten

Chad
Mendes outpointed the world-ranked Michihiro
Omigawa in a featherweight tilt, earning a unanimous decision
and spoiling the Japanese standout’s return to the UFC. All three
judges scored it 30-27.

Mendes looked sharp early, targeting Omigawa’s lead leg with kicks
while coming over the top with a heavy right hand. Though Omigawa’s
takedown defense was impressive through the first half of the
round, the Team Alpha Male ace finally put the judoka on his back
with 90 seconds to go in the round. Omigawa dictated the pace from
the guard, however, threatening to submit Mendes with a straight
arm lock.

Mendes crumpled his foe with a beautiful right hand just seconds
into round two, but he could not finish the durable Yoshida Dojo
representative. After surviving the onslaught, Omigawa recovered to
make the remainder of the round competitive, though he suffered a
nasty laceration over his left eye late in the round.

The third frame also belonged to Mendes, who escaped a guillotine
attempt in the opening seconds of the round to once again gain top
position. Though Omigawa was busy from the guard, “Money” continued
to rain down ground-and-pound. After Omigawa escaped to his feet,
the Japanese fighter pressed the action, only to be taken down and
bloodied up as the bout came to a close.

Though both men looked sharp standing, it was Johnson who won the
wrestling battle in round one. Using excellent technique and
blinding quickness, “Mighty Mouse” scored three separate takedowns
in the opening frame. The second round was strikingly similar, as
Johnson continually frustrated “Kid” with his speed and put him on
his back several more times. Round three also belonged to Johnson,
as the lightning-fast American wobbled Yamamoto with a left and
again took the fight to the floor as time expired.

“Me and him both have good footwork. That’s why I [kept my
distance]. If I overextend, I’m going to get knocked out, just like
everyone else, by that right hook,” said Johnson. “He was a very
tough opponent. He hits really hard, and he’s a really tough
guy.”

In the first frame, Taylor got the better of the exchanges, using
his wrestling in reverse to keep the fight standing. Though
Ruediger attempted multiple takedowns, the Brit’s defense held
strong and Taylor continually landed shots to the head of the
former WEC champion. Round two brought more of the same, with
Taylor finding his range in the stand-up and making his foe pay.
With his back against the fence, Taylor put together a fight-ending
combination, hurting the American with a one-two before sealing the
deal with a head kick.

Kingsbury Steamrolls Romero in 21
Seconds

A light heavyweight affair between Kyle
Kingsbury and Ricardo
Romero was almost over before it started, as Kingsbury earned
the technical knockout just 21 seconds into the fight.

After pressing the former Ring of Combat champion against the
fence, Kingsbury landed knees from the clinch to soften up his foe.
As Romero attempted to escape the position, “The Ultimate Fighter”
Season 8 veteran dropped him with a left hand and went for the
kill, as referee Steve Mazzagatti saved a turtled Romero from
further punishment.

Kingsbury, who trains out of the American Kickboxing Academy in San
Jose, Calif., has rattled off three consecutive victories.

Surging Pierce Stops Robertson

In the opener, powerful wrestler Mike Pierce
stopped the previously unbeaten Kenny
Robertson with punches 29 seconds into the second round.

The pace was deliberate in round one, as Pierce controlled the
action with his wrestling. After pushing Robertson against the
cage, the WEC veteran locked up a front headlock to neutralize any
offense Robertson tried to muster. Though Robertson eventually
escaped the position, Pierce scored a takedown as the round came to
a close.

Round two was all Pierce, as the Oregon native landed a solid left
hook to Robertson’s jaw, buckling his knees and signaling the
beginning of the end for the Bellator Fighting Championships alum.
As Robertson fell to the floor, Pierce pounced on his foe, forcing
referee Herb Dean to
step in.